copper- point source pollutant?

Late last year I read a report on a study trying to identify sources of copper in run-off into the San Francisco Bay. Copper pipes are named as a source. I was surprised to see copper roofs and raingutters also named in the report.

Why is this a problem, you might ask? Apparently it's the effect on salmonids. It doesn't kill them, but impairs their immune systems, weakens their eggshells, and makes them more susceptible to stress.

But I'm also a fisherman. And the anadromous salmonid popualtions up here have been assaulted.... by the guvmint' allowing more water for farmers than fish, by the threat of more drought and more water users each time we go through another cycle of drought...

Bay water quality is a big deal. Now we have an oil spill to clean up too.

Meanwhile water conservation isn't taken seriously enough. And outdoor use is more than 50% of the water use in the 'burbs.

That's why I see water conservation education as one of my missions on the job.

Frankly, I think that Silicon Valley industries are probably the biggest source of trace metals flowing into the bay. Just thought I'd bring it up to toss around.

Well, look at some on a pipe you or someone before you didn't wipe clean. It's corrosive. I suspect bad connections between galvanized and copper are equally bad. Good for getting those trace minerals in drinking water though, right?

If you look at that PDF file they show a cross section of a corroded six y.o. cold water line. Ugly.